CAP task force

Society of Biology task force on reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP reform)

The Society of Biology convenes taskforces to consider topical issues of science policy and to respond to consultations.

Membership of task force
Tim Brigstocke (chair) Society of Biology Council, consultant and Policy Director of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers
Ian Crute, Chief Scientist, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
Luke Gibbs, Corporate Affairs Team, Syngenta
Colin Hindmarch, consultant
Mark Kibblewhite, Head of Natural Resources; Chair in Applied Soil Science, Cranfield University
Chris Pollock, Honorary Professor at Aberystwyth University, member of the Society of Biology's Education Training and Policy Committee.
Graham Russell, Association of Applied Biologists
Andrew Sheppy, Linnean Society

Secretariat
Kathryn Alton, Executive Officer, British Society of Soil Science/
Institute of Professional Soil Scientists
Barbara Knowles, Senior Science Policy Adviser, Society of Biology

We thank Tom Hind, Head of Economics and International Affairs, NFU; and Laura Bellingan and Jackie Caine, Society of Biology, for their input to the work of the task force.

Scope of task force
There are many issues of interest to biologists and to our member organisations under the broad theme of CAP reform. These include: food security, other food issues including healthy eating and nutrition, protecting/enhancing ecosystem services, protecting biodiversity, climate change, water, non-food issues e.g. biofuels and other uses of agricultural land, soil fertility, pesticide usage, the role of agriculture in creating and protecting landscapes, especially in upland areas. The task force considers a number of these issues. Although the focus is primarily biological, it considers relevant economic and social factors too.

Outputs from the task force

Response to an enquiry on CAP reform from the Scottish Government 24 April 2012

Response to an enquiry on CAP reform from the Welsh Government 31 March 2012
CAP Reform post 2013 response to Defra 1 March 2012
Response to an enquiry on Greening the CAP from the EFRA select committee, 16 November 2011
Response to an enquiry on CAP reform from the EFRA select committee 7 December 2010
Position paper on CAP reform
Article in The Biologist

Background information:
- EFRA enquiry
- written evidence submitted to the EFRA enquiry
- European Commission communication on the common agricultural policy
- Society of Biology science policy briefings
- A policy paper on CAP reform and high nature value grasslands produced by the European forum on nature conservation and pastoralism (EFNCP), of which Colin Hindmarch and Barbara Knowles are members